Councillors adamantly oppose abolition of 'invaluable' Joint Policing Committee

Plans to create a new format for a community forum to replace the Joint Policing Committees has been strongly condemned by elected representatives in Tipperary.

The impending replacement of Tipperary’s Joint Policing Committee with a new body with less elected representatives was criticised at the monthly meeting of Tipperary County Council in Nenagh on Monday.

The plans will see the current system replaced by larger bodies made up of less elected representatives and instead draw from a larger pool of people across the community.

These new groups will be called Local Community Safety Partnerships and are already up and running in Dublin north inner city, Waterford and Longford and aim to identify and tackle community safety issues.

These new bodies comprise representatives of residents and community groups, business and education groups and statutory services such as An Garda Síochána, Tusla, HSE, the local authority and public representatives.

At Monday's meeting Councillor Roger Kennedy tabled a motion opposing the abolition of the current system in Tipperary which drew unanimous cross party and independent support from his councillor colleagues.

Cllr. Kennedy's motion was in support of a motion passed by Louth County Council which described the Joint Policing Committees as "one of the few useful reforms of local government in 2014" and opposes their abolition.

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Ger Darcy said councillors know what is happening locally and people will often confide in their local councillor about issues causing them concern.

"As a member of the JPC here and in the old North Tipp constituency I think local representatives by their very nature are close to the people - local people tend to confide in their local councillor no matter what their political background is", the Cathorileach said.

"They have information that is very useful to a JPC and they give an opportunity to meet with a mber of the Gardaí and get your point across. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would want to take out local representatives from a community based committee or reduce their role", he said.

This view was echoed by several elected members who voiced their concerns that the abolition of the system would result in a diminution of local democracy and hamper vital communication between elected representatives and higher echelon Gardaí.

Councillor Roger Kennedy added that only four other Joint Policing Committees around the country are functioning as effectively as Tipperary's and putting forward recommendations which benefit policing in the community.

Councillor Shane Lee, also a member of the Tipperary JPC said it is important to have elected representatives expressing the concerns of the community and to "have a place at the table", and Cllr. Sean Ryan said the JPC has provided invaluable guidance on crucial issues such as Garda CCTV systems.

Councillors said the JPC provides a vital conduit for communication on issues such as abuse of illicit drugs and anti-social behaviour and that disbanding the forum will erode another vital link between the community and their Gardaí.